The Strength of the Introvert in an Extroverted World

The Strength of the Introvert in an Extroverted World

With New Year’s Eve and all of it’s hoopla and partying only a couple days away, I thought the attached article on “Introverts and the Quest for Quiet” was a nice one to discuss.  I, for one, can’t stand New Year’s Eve.  It’s my least favorite holiday of the year. The reason is that I’m an introvert and we introverts have to really psych ourselves up to go out and enjoy big parties.  They suck the energy right out of us.  If a friend is having a small get together for New Year’s Eve I can enjoy that, but that’s a rarity. I usually end up staying at home and get very down because everyone else is out having so much fun and I’m not able to have fun at a big celebration.

The only problem with being an introvert is that we live in a world that values extroversion.  Extroverts have a much easier time getting ahead than introverts do because they’re more assertive with their ideas and find it easy to build a coalition around what they want.  While introverts are in the background thinking through the pros and cons to an idea and considering which idea will be more successful, or which factors need to be overcome the extroverts are out there promoting the first bright idea that has come to their mind, whether thought through or not.

Many of the people who come to see me for an assessment and counseling referral are introverts.  They have trouble making meaningful connections in this fast pace world.  In another time or place they would have done fine but in this world they fade into the background or get lost in the superficial hum of it all.

The article below reminds us of the quiet strength of the introvert, their natural tendency toward independence, their creativity and their innate leadership potential.  The world may see introverts as too private or sometimes regard their discomfort with fast paced social events as snobbish, but their thoughtful pensiveness can be amongst their greatest strengths.   If you struggle with introversion please read the article below, and if you struggle with getting ahead as a leader in an extroverted world I also recommend that you read the book, “The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength” by Jennifer Kahnweiler.

Here’s wishing everyone out there a very Happy New Year!  Be sure to ring it in in a way that suits the person that you are. http://psychcentral.com/lib/2012/introverts-and-the-quest-for-quiet/

Comments are closed.